Phil's International Flair

Perfect for the Chinese New Year, this dish is a classic. Elegant and flavorful, Lobster Cantonese is an ideal main course for any special occasion.

One advantage to this recipe is that with 2 small lobsters, you can feed at least 4 people. Since the lobster is cut into pieces, everyone can share equally, and the dish is very rich. Lobster Cantonese is generally served on top of rice or noodles. Either one is fine, depending on your preference. Noodles take less time to cook, but rice absorbs the sauce better. Or, you can quickly deep fry some noodles to make a crispy bed on the serving dish for the Lobster Cantonese.

You can elect to leave the lobster meat in the shell and cut into manageable pieces, or removed the meat from the shell entirely. Leaving the meat in the shell certainly makes the dish more colorful and interesting to eat. And, it's a bit easier to prepare if you don't have to remove all the meat from the shells.

2 live lobsters, 1 to 2 lbs. each

3/4 lb. ground pork

2 Tbsp. sesame oil

5 slices fresh ginger

4 large cloves garlic

3 green onions, French cut, 1 inch long

2 Tbsp. fermented black beans or black bean with garlic sauce

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 cup chicken broth

1 Tbsp. corn starch

1/4 cup sherry

4 eggs

Cilantro for garnish

Boil a very large pot of salted water to prepare the lobsters. Carefully place the lobsters into the boiling water and then turn off the heat. Wait 3 minutes and then drain the water and remove the lobsters from the pot for further processing. Basically, this instantly kills the lobsters in a humane way.

To prepare the lobsters for further cooking, remove the claws or any other portions with meat, including part or all of the body. Snap the tail off and split it lengthwise and then cut into bite sized portions. The claws can be cracked before adding to the dish. A nutcracker works well for this task.

Prepare the sauce in a suitable container consisting of the chicken broth, brown sugar, black beans (or black bean sauce), soy sauce and corn starch. Stir thoroughly before adding to the skillet. Also prepare 4 eggs, beaten in a bowl with about 1 Tbsp. of water added. Set these items aside.

In a large wok or skillet, heat the oil and ginger until simmering. Next add the pork and stir fry until the meat is browned and well broken up. Add the garlic and stir for an additional minute.

Next, add the lobster and quickly stir until the lobster becomes translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sherry, reduce the heat to low and cover the skillet or wok for about 1 minute. Remove the cover and add the sauce with chicken broth and continue to stir until simmering. The sauce should thicken slightly. Add the green onions and continue to stir for about 2 minutes.

Finally, turn off the heat, wait 1 minute and then pour the beaten eggs into the skillet, stirring constantly until a smooth sauce is formed. Serve immediately over rice or noodles and garnish with sprigs of cilantro.